Tag Archive: Sen. Steve Sweeney

While in Haight Asbbury as a young guy, being stoned and sitting in near-by Golden Gate Park looking up at tall trees reaching toward the sun could be a mind-blowing experience. Pot was my drug of choice. Bob Dylan in…Read more

Budget Addresses are typically filled with talking points. They include problems which limit what the incumbent can do. They tend to highlight the most popular proposals, not mention unpleasant cuts, ignore needs not included in the budget, and hide “smoke and…Read more

Progressives had hoped for a crackdown against the polluter Exxon, instead they received a sellout against New Jerseyans and their environment. The judge yesterday ruled the consent agreement of only $225 million “was fair and reasonable.” Of the $225 million, $50 million will go to legal costs, $50 million to environmental cleanup and $125 million to the state’s General Fund.

Bismark said “Laws are like sausages. It is better not to see them being made.” Someone else might have said, “Too many cooks spoil the sausage.” In the case of New Jersey gun law reform the process has started off messy with over 30 bills introduced in the legislature – some moving forward, some being altered, and others unlikely to see the light of day. Then we have the cooks: the Governor, Sen. Barbara Buono, the Assembly, the Senate, NRA, NJ 2nd Amendment Society, Heeding God’s Call, and others. Part of making the sausages we can’t see as behind closed doors legislators, lobbyists and advocates across the spectrum have their own recipes. What we can see is often confusing and changes from day to day.

Unlike the federal government and many other states, it does appear that our legislature will pass gun bills shortly. Our governor may even sign off on some of them. A few of the more innocuous bills are actually supported by the NRA, and some have received bipartisan support.

The final outputput remains unclear. The sausage recipes are undergoing development in this sloppy, sometimes secretive process. I happen to like robust sausages, but I suspect only a very few will be robust, some watered down, and many will never exit the factory. We will, however, have made progress and be able to continue the fight another day for saner gun policies.

Dwindling down to a precious few… According to PolitickerNJ, Senate President Steve Sweeney will not run for Governor. He is likely to formally announce this decision today or tomorrow. No big surprise. Can U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell be far behind him? It appears that the suspense is over and that it will be Sen. Barbara Buono who remains standing – tall and proud. Other Democratic leaders still need to endorse her, and we all need to put on our working boots to assure her victory.

U.S. Senate Action today on Sandy… The Senate is scheduled to take up the aid bill today at 4:30 and to vote on the matter at 5:30. Sen. Mike Lee (R Utah) is expected to introduce an amendment requiring that the cost of the aid be offset by reducing expenditures in the budget, but his measure seems bound for defeat. The aid bill should pass and President Obama will sign it into law quickly. The hurricane struck us on October 29, so getting this bill enacted has taken a painful and prolonged three months.